Shifters - The King of Wolves - Book 1

CHAPTER 46 - TURNING TIDES

The faint sound of our footsteps echoed through the silent room as Egon and I made our way towards the raised platform. All the shifters kept their heads lowered, their gazes fixed to the floor.

Upon reaching the platform, Egon offered me his hand and guided me up the few steps until he led me towards the throne on his left.

The moment I sat down, the shifters started to move again and quietly returned to their seats.

I tried to steady my breathing, but my sweaty hands betrayed my nerves. Discreetly, I wiped them on the folds of my dress as my eyes wandered to the chairs positioned beside us. At Egon's right, Gyda had taken her seat between Hamlin and an unfamiliar woman, while on my left, Rolf sat next to Leif, both of them scanning the crowd below.

I shifted in my seat. I hated being the centre of attention, and now here I was, quite literally in the middle of a grand hall filled with at least a hundred people whose curious eyes were all fixated on me. The golden throne I was sitting on seemed to glow even brighter underneath the light of the chandelier above me, as if it were determined to draw even more attention to me.

"Thank you all for coming," Egon's voice suddenly rang out, pulling the focus of the entire room towards him. "Especially those who have travelled far to be here. It is rare that I call for such a gathering of this scale, but given the circumstances our Kingdom finds itself in, I had no other choice."

The crowd remained still, though a few heads nodded in agreement. Their expressions were solemn, determined. It was clear these shifters had gathered here with a common purpose, united by the desire to put an end to the growing threat of the skinners.

"Before we begin the council, I want to take a moment to introduce my mate," Egon continued as his eyes flickered to me briefly, his gaze shining with pride. "As you may already know, my mate is human. But that does not make her less significant, neither to me nor to this Kingdom. When the time is right, she will bear my mark and will become your Luna Queen."

The moment his words settled, the room erupted in loud applause. I glanced towards Devi and Arden, who were among the loudest, their faces lit with enthusiasm as they called out from their seats. I spotted Maliah, her smile wide as she gave me two thumbs up.

I could feel the heat rising to my cheeks from the unexpected attention, but I waved to the crowd with a polite smile.

Egon turned to look at me, the pride evident in the look on his face. I could see how much this moment meant to him.

As Egon took his seat beside me, the room immediately fell silent once more.

"What's first on the agenda today?" Egon asked, his tone shifting to one of authority.

The woman seated beside Gyda stood up and made her way towards us. Her dark blonde hair tumbled over her shoulders as she bowed before us.

"Alpha King, Luna," she said, her voice soft but confident as she handed Egon a piece of parchment. Her steps were silent as she moved to my side, offering me a similar document with a polite smile.

"Thank you," I whispered, taking the paper from her hand. She gave a slight nod before returning to her seat, immediately dipping her quill into a pot of ink.

Leaning slightly towards me, Egon whispered, "That's Amaris, Hamlin and Gyda's daughter. She handles the administrative duties of the Royal Council and keeps a record of every meeting."

I nodded in understanding, casting a quick glance at Amaris, who was already focused on her task.

Shifting my gaze back to the parchment in my hands, my eyes widened. The list was longer than I had anticipated, filled with topic after topic. There had to be at least a hundred items on here. How long was this meeting supposed to last?